Why has Harvey Weinstein come out of hiding?

A night out watching some young performers, dinners at Cipriani, an attempt to make a deal and a date over some art — Harvey Weinstein has been spending the final months before his rape trial starts on Jan. 8, 2020, trying to lead a New York life a lot like the Weinstein of old, save for the GPS tracking bracelet on his ankle and the tendency to provoke reactions of shock and anger from bystanders.Last week, Weinstein arrived in the basement of the Downtime Bar on the Lower East Side, where a group of actors, singers, dancers and comics had gathered for an audience of about 50 people attending a suicide prevention fundraiser. The disgraced mogul, who had been invited by a singing duo scheduled to perform, arrived looking thin, hunched over a walker he uses for back pain and flanked by an entourage that included two younger women and two beefy men.Weinstein, 67, who had been living in relative seclusion in his home in Connecticut since October of 2017, has been stepping out in public and spending more time in New York City, particularly since his divorce from Georgina Chapman was finalized in recent months. Sometimes people scream at him; sometimes they ask for selfies. At a recent event, Weinstein became the centerpiece of a raw night as a female comic called him out from the stage and other women in the audience confronted him before they were asked to leave the club. Comedian Kelly Bachman spotted Weinstein seated at a table before she took the stage to deliver her 10-minute set and approached one of the organizers of the event, which was put on jointly by the groups Actors Hour and Fundraiser Underground. “I said, ‘Do you always invite the Boogeyman to your parties?” says Bachman, who had previously produced a show called Rape Jokes By Survivors. “I’m sitting here with a monster from my literal nightmare.” When Bachman acknowledged the “Freddy Krueger” in the room during her set, she realized that Weinstein had more of the crowd on his side than she did, as some members of the audience booed and one man shouted at her to “shut up.” “The crowd seemed to be this naive group of young hopefuls who still think that Harvey Weinstein is a person who is going to fund their project or get them into a movie,” Bachman says. “It felt like this sad attempt to re-kindle his old life.”The appearance may not have been Weinstein’s first at the monthly event — audience member Amber Rollo was told he had attended the previous month’s showcase as well. “Why this space? And why this event?” says Rollo. “An event that is specifically aimed at helping young artists and actors? It feels like a real insult and power move to try to be there. Everyone was a little bit scared of him. You don’t know what control he still has.”Weinstein, who was sipping Fiji water and chatting with his female companions, sat stone-faced, Silas says. “He didn’t watch the show,” says Silas. “He didn’t clap. He did not look like he wanted to be there. I was thinking to myself, ‘When was the last time Harvey Weinstein sat through a terrible open mic night?’”– Courtesy: Hollywood Reporter

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